Creating business continuity for commercial growers
Source: VFD.com
Creating business continuity for commercial growers Greenhouse leaders know that business continuity requires healthy crops, functioning equipment, reliable facilities, and plans for the next disruption. Long-term continuity also depends on the people whose knowledge, relationships, and decisions keep the business moving.
Many leaders today are making daily operational decisions under pressure while also trying to build an organization that can keep moving through leadership changes, workforce shifts, and future growth. According to a survey by Wakefield Research for Sentry®'s 2026 C-Suite Stress Index: Midyear Report, 70% of executives are planning in shorter intervals, and 61% are building more contingencies into their planning processes.
Greenhouse business continuity planning begins long before a disruption. Preparing for change, whether a longtime head grower is retiring, a key employee is leaving, or an owner suddenly must step down, should include the people and leadership capabilities the organization depends on.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
